Equalizing plate for use in heel building



Dec. 24, 19:9. 5j 1,740,871

EQUALIZING PLATE FOR USE IN HEEL BUILDING Filed March 17. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I/vvE/vTo/Q: aa/v/vls PARKS Dec. 24, 1929. D? PARKS I 1,740,871

EQUALIZING PLATE Fqn USE IN HEEL BUILDING Filed March 17. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/vvE/v TOR: DE/wv/s PARK 5 WMW f7 rrgnwers.

Patented Dec. 24, 1929 ATET OFFICE DENNIS PARKS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI EQUALIZING PLATE FOR USE IN. HEEL BUILDING Application filed March 17, 1928.

This invention relates to an improved selfalining equalizing plate intended more particularly for use in the heel-building machines of the type disclosed in the prior patents to Mitchell and Parks, No. 1,399,508, dated December 6th, 1921, No. 1,403,184, dated January 10th, 1922, and No. 1,432,080, dated October 17th, 122, and the general object of the invention is to provide a plate of 10 this character that will accommodate itself to a heel of any wedge.

Hitherto it has been necessary to have a different set of plates for each different wedge of heel. By the use of my improved equalizing plate, the number of plates necessary to be used in the manufacture of heels is very greatly reduced as the same plate may be used for a heel of any given wedge. Since there are forty or fifty plates in each set as 20 used on machines of the type referred to, it will be seen that a decided advantage, in

- the elements of time and economy, is obtained by reducing the number of sets, say, six, formerly required with each machine to provide for the different wedges employed, to

' one set only, as may be done by using plates made according to my present invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a machine of the type referred to intended more particularly for use in building whole-lift heels;

Figure 2 is a view in broken side elevation on an enlarged scale showing in the lower part of the race-way a series of heel-blanks with interposed equalizing plates, and in the upper part a series of the equalizing plates being returned to the front part of the machine for further use;

Figure 3 is a view in front elevation of my improved equalizing plate;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View thereof on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Figure 5 is a section thereof on the line 55 of Fig. 3 viewed in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 4 viewed in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 is a section on the line 77 of Serial No. 262,424.

Fig. 2 viewed in the direction of the arrows, showing the manner in which the plate is engaged for sliding movement in the raceway; and

Figure 8 is a similar view on the line 88 of Fig. 2 showing an equalizing plate in position against a heel-blank.

The machine illustrated involves a naildriving attachment, which forms the subject matter of a recently filed application of one Fred Hawkins.

The present equalizing plate is an out growth of the heel-blank separator and former shown in my prior Patent No. 1,451,469. The device of this patent was 5. shaped to form the heel-blank and in a manner housed the heel blank within it in order to shape it. A large number of sets of these heel-formers were required to be used with each machine to accommodate not only dif- 7o ferent wedges of heels, but different sizes, as the forming or shaping of the heel-blank was necessary, due to the fact that the lifts were only attached to each other by paste which, in the early part of the operation, would be moist and permit the lifts to be forced out of position.

The invention of Mr. Hawkins referred to above made it possible to dispense entirely with the forming part of the plate, as the nailing of the lifts together as they are forced into the heel-log container prevents any slippage between the lifts, and thus with the Hawkins improvement, it was only necessary to have a sufficient number of sets, say, from four to six, to provide for the different wedges of the heel. The present invention, by providing a self-alining equalizing plate, obviates the necessity of using more than one set of plates with each machine, as the plates may be used with any wedge of heel that it may be desired to manufacture.

I will now briefly describe the machine illustrated so that the nature and purpose of my invention may be better understood.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the frame of the machine, the top portion of which is inclined forwardly as shown and has supported thereon a combined heel-log container and race-way. The race- 100 driven part of the machine comprises a shaft which is mounted one end of an actuating way is indicated at 2 and comprises two parallel bars having rounded connections at either end and provided with a continuousslot 3 (Figs. 7 and 8) in which are slidably mounted the heads 4 of a set of my improved equalizing plates 5, one of which plates will be described in detail later on. Below the race-way 2 and parallel with the lower side thereof is a bed-plate 6 which co-operates with the lower member 7 of the race-way to provide the heel-log container. The plate 6 is what is known in the art as a breast plate; that is to say, the breasts of the heels rest upon it as they pass through the container.

In operation, as the column composed of heel-blanks'and equalizing plates is forced through the heel-log container, each heelblank, in turn, at the forward or upper end of the column will fall away while the plate will continue around the race-way and slide down the upper side thereof, as will be clear from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2. The

8 driven by a pulley 9 and having mounted thereon an eccentric 10. Encircling the eccentric 10 is a strap 11 having a head 12 in rod 13 provided on its upper side near its lower end with a recess 14 affording a shoulder 15. The actuating rod 13 rests at its lower side on a roller 16 mounted interme diate the ends of a lever 17 which is pivoted at its lower end, as indicated at 18, on the frame of the machine. Pivotally mounted at19 on the lever 17 above the actuating bar 13 is a dog 20, the lower or free end of which is normally held in contact with the upper sideof the bar 13 by means of a leaf spring 21. As shown by Fig. 1, in the normal position of the parts, the free end of the dog 20 extends beyond the shoulder 15 on the actuating bar when the latter is in its extreme inward position, or that shown in the figure. The lever 17 is moved outwardly or away from the operator to bring the dog 20 to a position where its free end will fall into the recess 14 and be engaged by the shoulder 15 on actuating rod 13 through the medium of a treadle 22 pivoted at its upper end at 23 on the frame, to which is pivotally connected one end of a connecting rod 24, the other end of which has a slotted engagement 25 with a pin 26 on the lever 17 at any suitable point above its pivot 18. The operator, by placing his foot on the treadle 22, pushes it outward, causing the connecting rod 24 to move the upper end of the lever 17 in the same direction, whereby the free end of the dog 20 will be moved over and fall into the recess 14, and in the next outward movement of the actuating bar 13 caused by the rotation of eccentric 1-0, the shoulder 15 on the actuating rod will engage the free end of the dog and move the upper end of the lever 17 to its extreme outward position. In this movement,

the assembled lifts will be forced against the previously formed column of heel-blanks in the heel-log container, a nail will be driven through the assembled lifts, and said lifts, together with the column of heel-blanks in the container, will be advanced a given distance therein. These operations result from the movement of a head 27, which is slidably mounted on a rear eXtension of the breast plate 7, which carries a nail-holder, and from the automatic movement of a naildriver 28 mounted on said sliding head and which is caused to function as the sliding head is brought into engagement with the assembled heel-lifts. The sliding head is actuated through the medium of an arm 29 suitably connected thereto and pivotally connected to the upper end of the lever 17. It is not considered necessary to describe the machine more in detail as the same is fully described and illustrated in the application of Hawkins heretofore referred to.

Referring now to my improved equalizing plate, shown in Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive, of the drawings, the same comprises a back-plate 30 against which the top of one heel-blank in the log container engages, and a swivel plate 31 attached to the back-plate and against which the base of the neighboring heel-blank in the log container engages, this swivel plate being adapted to adjust itself to the wedge or incline of the heel-blank so as to insure uniform pressure on the column of wedged heel-blanks going through the log container. To this end, the back-plate 30 is u as shown at 35, to enable it to have a rocking or pivotal movement over the rib 32. The two plates 30 and 31 are loosely connected by a rivet 36, the heads of which are countersunk in the outer faces of the plates, as shown by Figs. 4 and 5. This manner of connecting the plates permits the plate 31 to swivel about the rib 32 on the back-plate and thereby, as stated, accommodate itself to different inclines or Wedges of the heels. The head 4, previously referred to, is provided on the upper end of the back-plate 30 and has lateral projections 38 engaging in the grooves 39 provided at opposite sides of the race-way, as more clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

In operation, a series of lifts having been assembled on the bed-plate at the front end of the machine, the head 27 is moved forward in the manner described to force the lifts against a previously positioned equalizing plate 5. This position of the parts is shown in Fig. 1. When the head 27 is moved away from the heel-blank, the forward equalizing plate 5 on the upper portion of the race-way is moved around into position by the operator, so that its back plate 30 rests against the top lift, or smallest lift of the heel-blank, and the oase lift of the heel-blank will, as stated, engage the front of the swivel plate 81 of the previ usly positioned equalizing plate. It will. be clear that the swivel plate 31 will readily more about its point of pivotal connection with the back plate to aline or adjust itself to the incline of the heel-blank, and as this occurs with each heel-blank forced into the container, uniform pressure on the column of wedged heels going through the log container is insured.

While, as stated, the machine illustrated is more particularly intended for use in ma ing heel-blanks of whole-lif it can, in conjunction with the Hawkins in ention referred to, be employed in making heel-blanks of pieced lifts.

lVhile I have shown rev in 'oved equalizing plate as being provided w 'h a head for engaging in the grooves of the race-way of the machine, 1 wish it understood that my invention is equally applicable to equalizing plates used in other systems where a race-way is not employed and where, of course, no head on the equalizing plates will be required. For instance. in the welhknown Brockton system, the heel-blanks pass down through a vertical log container, and if used in such a system, the equalizing plates would consist only of the back-plate and the swivel plate, without the head on the back-plate. lVhen used in the Brockton system, the equalizing plate,

once put ito a proper position by the operator, would continue to maintain that position as it passed down through the container and result in insuring uniform pressure on the column of wedged heels forced downwardly through the log container, exactly as in the case of the combined log container and race-way of the machine I have illustrated. As stated above, my improved equalizing plate is intended to be used on heel-blanks that have been nailed, the nail holding the lifts in proper position and making aheelformer unnecessary. It should be stated, however, that the wedge equalizing feature could also be used with equal success in a heel-former. For example, a heel-former, such as ill ited in my prior Patent No. 1,451,469, heretofore referred to, having side flanges for positioning the lifts of the heelblank, could also be provided with a swivel plate to make the former automatically accommodate itself to any wedge of heel.

Finally, it should be pointed out that while I have found from practice that the preferred use of the self-alining equalizing plate in the type of machine illustrated is to position it in the log so that the back-plate will rest against the top lift of one heel and the swivel plate will rest against the base lift of the neighboring heel, it is practicable to reverse the position. In other words, the proper results could be obtained in some systems of heelbuilding by having the back-plate rest against the base lift of one heel and the swivel plate rest against the top lift of the neighboring heel.

I claim:

1. A portable equalizing plate for use in securing uniform pressure on a column of wedged heellanhs forced through a log-container, comprising two plates one of which is pivotally mounted for self-alinement on the other, a plurality of said equalizing plates being adapted to be used in alternation with a plurality of heel-blanks and said equalizing plate being of a size to enter the log-container and be forced therethrough with the heelblanks.

2. A portable equalizing plate of the character described, comprising a back-plate having a wedge-adjusting plate swiveled thereon, said equalizing plate being of a size to be positioned against a heel-blank and to be forced therewith through a log-container adapted to receive a series of heel-blanks and equalizing plates alternating in position.

A portable equalizing plate of the character described, comprising a back-plate havmg a nead shaped to slidably engage in a e-way, and a wedge-adpistmg plate swivel l thereon, the back-plate and wedge-ad- JllSBlIlQ plate being of a size to enter a logcontainer and a series thereof being adapted to be forced through the log-container in alternate relation with a series of heel-blanks.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

DENNIS PARKS. 

